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Journalism of Courage
8226; The editor8217;s exasperation in 8216;The Ordinance factory8217; IE, December 31 is understandable. His dismay at writing such a sombre piece on New Year8217;s eve will also be shared by many readers. The majority of people may be averse to the legitimisation of a grab-and-loot regime. The state should remember that any government that cocks a snook at the law is bound to fail, sooner than later. Unless we, the citizens, learn to contain our greed and respect the laws, the New Year can bring little hope of a better life.
8212; J.M. Manchanda New Delhi
United, we grab
8226; While trying to compare the present 8216;ordinance raj8217; with the Emergency, Shekhar Gupta is in fact underestimating the deadly, long-term ill-effects of ordinances passed solely to protect the selfish interests of the few who happen to be in power. Ordinance raj is far worse than an emergency because, unlike in the dark age of an emergency, an ordinance regime runs with the full cooperation of the so-called 8220;opposition8221;, which is itself a major beneficiary of scams and scandals. Our politicians have displayed an uncanny unity in grabbing public properties.
8212; Kishore Karnad Baroda
Follow norms
8226; The current chaos, resulting from the demolition of illegal structures in Delhi8217;s residential areas, emanates from non-compliance of building bye-laws and town planning norms in utter defiance of Master Plans and general apathy on the part of those entrusted with the responsibility of enforcing them. It is ironical that despite passage of over a decade, the Delhi Rent Bill, 1995, is yet to see the day of light because of certain vested interests. The consequence is there for all to see. Most of the buildings in the inner and outer circles of prestigious areas like Connaught Place today stand in a state of disrepair and neglect. Similar is the story of squatter settlements. They can spring up anywhere within the city with impunity. If we really wish to transform Delhi into a world-class city, we must follow town planning norms in right earnest.
8212; Ashwini Kumar Lal New Delhi
8226; The Central and state governments, while ensuring the rehabilitation of the people, must continue the demolition drive to undermine the intricate knot between builder mafias, corrupt officials and politicians.
8212; Anuja Seith New Delhi
Rule of law
8226; Despite moral policing by hypocritical governments, there is a definite spurt in crimes like rape. The government should not interfere with the private lives of its citizens, but should ensure that the law and order regime is effective.
8212; C.R. Ramakrishnan Chennai
Rename BJP!
8226; With BJP8217;s male leaders vying to be called Ram, Lakshman, Hanuman, et al, after the immortal characters of the great epic, I am sure women leaders too would like to be called Sita, Urmila, Sumitra, and so on. In this context, I suggest the party leadership remembered the adage, 8216;Strike while the iron is hot8217;, and immediately rechristen the BJP as the Bharatiya Ramayan Party!
8212; K.P. Rajan Mumbai
